Pleasure Me (43 page)

As much as he hated to admit it, his sister was right. Ruth might have betrayed him to Tremaine, but she had no reason that he could think of to frame him for murder. He winced at the memory of his arrest. He’d been exhausted
and
hungover the morning after discovering Ruth with Tremaine.

After boxing himself to the point of exhaustion, he’d left his club and spent the remainder of the night walking the streets of the city, searching for what he wasn’t sure. Perhaps another fight? A way to end the pain holding him prisoner? Whatever the reason, he’d not arrived at Seymour Square until shortly after dawn. He’d been eating breakfast when Scotland Yard arrived to arrest him for Tremaine’s murder.

He turned away from Lily to stare out the window of his office that overlooked the garden. When his jailer had opened his cell door later that day, the man had simply told him he was free to leave. He’d assumed that Vincent had posted a bond for his release, but there had been no one to greet him as he’d left the jail. He’d come straight to Chiddingstone House. For once, he’d wanted—no, needed—to hear the noise that came with a houseful of siblings.

Of course, the mood had been subdued since his brief incarceration, but in recent days, a sense of normalcy had returned to the house. With each passing day, he grew less uneasy about the possibility of Inspector Cooper coming to say they’d made a mistake. Halfheartedly, he noted the flower beds were riotous with color. They were a stark contrast to the chilly, damp prison cell he’d inhabited for an entire day. A shudder rippled through him at the memory. The door to his office opened, and Martin stepped into the room.

“Inspector Cooper has arrived, my lord. He wishes to speak with you.”

Garrick stiffened at the butler’s announcement and ignored Lily’s gasp of fear as he nodded toward the servant. “Show him in, Martin.”

A short moment later, Inspector Cooper’s tall, lanky form crossed the threshold of Garrick’s office. A fisted hand clasped behind his back, Garrick nodded to the man, certain the officer was bringing bad news.

“Forgive the intrusion, my lord. I’m sure I’m the last person you wish to see at the moment.” There was a note of apology in the man’s voice that puzzled him. He frowned, unwilling to exchange pleasantries.

“Are you here to arrest me again, Inspector?” The bitterness in his voice was evident, and Cooper grimaced.

“No, my lord. In fact, I have some good news to report, and Scotland Yard wishes to offer its apologies.”

“Apologies?” His body taut with tension, Garrick wasn’t sure what to make of the inspector’s statement.

“Yes, my lord. I can’t say much at the moment, but a new suspect has come to light in the Tremaine murder.” The man’s words sent relief crashing through him. Vindication. The relief only lasted a moment as the memory of Ruth and her treachery returned to haunt him.

“This is wonderful news!” Lily exclaimed as she moved to stand at his side, her hand squeezing his arm.

“Are you saying I’m no longer a suspect?” Garrick swallowed the knot in his throat.

“Correct, my lord. In fact, that’s why Scotland Yard owes you an apology. I’ve only just learned that the jailer who released you two weeks ago didn’t relay certain information to you.”

“What information?” Garrick’s muscles locked into a rigid position as he sent the inspector a hard look. Outside the office he heard a shout, but was willing to ignore it to hear what the man had to say. Inspector Cooper had heard the noise as well and turned his head in the direction of the sound. “
What
information, Inspector?”

Cooper turned back to face him, his attention still obviously on the noise outside the office. Shouting that was growing louder by the minute. “Yes, my lord, it’s about your alibi—”

“Alibi? What alibi?” Garrick snapped as he heard Martin yelling at someone.

The inspector’s head turned toward the cries outside the office. Clearly he would have to wait for the man’s explanation. With an oath of disgust, Garrick started toward the office door. He’d only gone a few steps when the door flew open with a violent bang. Garrick narrowed his eyes as he watched his uncle stagger into the room. The man reeked of alcohol and something that smelled like the sewer. Obviously, his uncle had visited one of the seedier establishments in the city before coming to Chiddingstone House. He struggled not to gag from the man’s stench.

“What do you want, Beresford?” His mouth tightened into a hard line.

“I want my life back, you little prick,” the man said viciously. “You’ve ruined me. You’ve taken everything from me.”

“You ruined yourself,” Garrick said coldly.

“No. You did this to me, and I’m going to make you pay.” Beresford snarled like a wounded animal as he gave a drunken lunge in Garrick’s direction.

“Exactly how might you do that, my lord?” Inspector Cooper’s quiet voice made Garrick’s uncle start with surprise as he turned to see the officer studying him with great interest. Swaying slightly, Beresford eyed the investigator with a look of panic on his face.

“
You
. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Solving a murder case,” the officer said calmly.

“I didn’t kill Tremaine.” Beresford’s voice was a piteous sound as he shook his head vehemently.

“I don’t recall mentioning Lord Tremaine’s name.” The inspector’s words sent another look of panic across Garrick’s uncle’s face. “Take a seat, Beresford.”

The inspector gestured for the man to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk. When Beresford was seated, the inspector went to the office door. As it opened, Garrick could see Martin standing there with an expression of stark dismay on his face.

“My lord, I’m so sorry.” The unflappable butler looked as though he were ready to come undone. “I tried to stop him, my lord.”

“It’s all right, Martin. Everyone is safe.” His reassurance seemed to help the butler regain some of his composure.

“Yes, but I have two incompetent officers who have some explaining to do as to why they didn’t stop Beresford from entering the house,” Cooper said in a grim voice.

“I am not quite as stupid as you might think, Inspector. I came in the back way,” Garrick’s uncle said with a sneer, clearly having regained some of his bravado. Cooper sent Beresford a look of disgust before he turned to Martin, who was still hovering in the doorway.

“If you would please, ask Officer Brown to bring his prisoner in here. And would you have one of the policemen outside the
front
of the house join us in here.” The inspector glared at Beresford over his shoulder, obviously irritated that he’d been unprepared for the man’s arrival.

Martin hurried away without any further prompting as Inspector Cooper turned back to face Garrick and Lily. A sympathetic look crossed his face as he studied Lily’s pale features.

“Perhaps you might like to lay down, my lady.” The man’s words made his sister stiffen and push away from Garrick’s side.

“I’m quite well, Inspector. Thank you just the same.”

A scuffling sound came from the hallway outside the office, and a moment later, a blue-suited policeman dragged a reluctant prisoner into the room. A second officer followed them into the room. Garrick frowned at the size of the prisoner. He had the look of a dockworker. The moment the prisoner saw Beresford, he released an ugly sound.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” The man’s distinct voice made Garrick stiffen. He knew that voice. The inspector glanced in his direction.

“My lord, this is Billy Turner. Do you recognize him?” Inspector Cooper waited quietly for Garrick to answer.

“I recognize his voice. I believe he’s one of the men who attacked me more than a month ago,” Garrick replied quietly.

“That’s a lie. I ain’t never seen this gent before, guv.” The husky prisoner glared at him, and Garrick arched his eyebrow.

“During the attack, I bit the hand of one of my assailants hard enough to draw blood.” Garrick studied the prisoner’s face, and wasn’t surprised to see the man flinch. “Might I ask that this man show his hands?”

“Let’s see his hands.” The inspector nodded toward the officer standing beside Turner. The prisoner struggled to keep his hands hidden, but the officers forced the man to show them. On Turner’s pudgy left hand, the almost healed scars of a deep bite were still visible.

“He made me do it,” Turner exploded as he nodded in Beresford’s direction. “Him and the other gent. He told me he wanted to see something personal of the guv’s to prove we’d done the job.”

“You and who else,” Inspector Cooper bit out in a cold voice.

“Me friend, Harry. We done the odd job for his lordship before, and Beresford here pointed out the guv to us.” Turner jerked his head in Garrick’s direction, suddenly a fount of information as he realized he might be blamed for something worse than assault and thievery. “We just roughed his lordship up a bit. We did the same thing with the other gent. But like the guv here, we left him alive, Inspector. I swear it.”

“I find that hard to believe, Turner.” Cooper’s tone was ice-cold.

“I swear it. His lordship told us not to kill him.”

“His lordship?” the inspector snapped. The prisoner hesitated and Cooper frowned angrily. “A name, Turner. I want a name.”

“Marston. Lord Marston.” The dockworker’s fear was so bad he almost wept the name. Garrick jerked in surprise. What the devil had he ever done to Marston? He tried to think back over the last several months, but could come up with nothing that would warrant the man trying to frame him for murder. His attention quickly returned to the interrogation at hand.

“And the ring you took from his lordship, here?” The inspector nodded toward Garrick as he narrowed his gaze at the burly man.

“Harry and I gave the ring to him.” Turner bobbed his head in Beresford’s direction. Clearly unsurprised by the man’s response, Inspector Cooper nodded and turned back to Beresford.

“Do you have anything to add before I arrest you, Beresford?” Cooper asked in a harsh tone.

“For what? I didn’t do anything,” Garrick’s uncle snarled.

“Perhaps you’re forgetting the ring.” The inspector’s voice was quietly menacing. “The ring you put into Tremaine’s hand to blame your nephew for the murder you committed.”

“
No
. That’s not true! It was Marston!” Beresford shouted as he jumped to his feet. “Yes, I put Garrick’s ring in Tremaine’s hand, but I didn’t kill the man. It was Marston.”

“And I’m sure Lord Marston is saying the same thing about you right now to my colleague, Inspector Watson,” the policeman said in a critical tone.

“I’m telling the truth.” Beresford’s face had the look of a madman as he pointed wildly at the burly Turner. “This one and his partner beat Tremaine senseless then Marston finished the bastard off with a brick.”

“Why would Marston do that? You were the one who owed Tremaine money,” the inspector snapped.

“Marston owed Tremaine money, too. When my nephew called in Tremaine’s loans, he called in our markers. Marston and I didn’t have enough funds to cover what we owed him. Tremaine was about to take what little we did have.” Beresford turned sharply to face Garrick. Although his face was beet red with anger, the man looked more terrified than anything else. “This is your fault. You set out to ruin me and Tremaine and now I’m the one being framed for murder.”

“Just like you tried to frame me, uncle?” Garrick was surprised by the evenness of his voice as he sent Beresford a cold look. “Look in the mirror if you want to see a guilty party.”

“You sorry little prick.” Beresford was almost foaming at the mouth as he lunged forward, but the inspector threw himself in front of the half-drunk man whose eyes were dark with hate. “Just like your father. Only one ballock and a taste for traitorous whores because no other woman will have you.”

Raw fury streaked through Garrick’s veins at the reference to Ruth, and he took a quick step forward. The moment he moved, his uncle threw back his head and cackled with glee. Garrick froze. He recognized that laugh. It was the same sound he’d heard all those years ago in Bertha’s bedroom. His uncle’s laughter filled his ears, and he grew stiff as he waited for the familiar humiliation to painfully wash over him.

It didn’t.

He stared at Beresford with a sense of amazement. He was truly free. Walking away from Tremaine and the man’s effort to blackmail him that day in the orphanage hadn’t been an illusion. He really had accepted himself for who he was, not what his uncle had made him believe for so long. Lily gripped his arm, and he glanced down at her.

The look of sisterly concern on her face made him shake his head as he gently patted her hand. Almost as though Beresford realized his words no longer had any effect on Garrick, the man’s laughter died abruptly. Inspector Cooper gestured to the second officer, who stepped forward to lead Beresford out of the office. The inspector turned back to Garrick.

“If you’ll excuse me, my lord, I’ll take Beresford and Turner here back to Scotland Yard so I can finish sorting this case out,” Cooper said quietly. “As I said earlier, we owe you an apology. I am certain your involvement with this sad affair is at an end, except for the possibility of being called to testify as to today’s events.”

The inspector started toward the door, and Garrick felt a wave of relief wash over him. He could go back to living his life again without fear of the police pounding on his door, demanding his arrest. An image of Ruth fluttered through his head, and his gut clenched. His life would be completely empty without her. Cooper stopped at the office door and turned back to Garrick.

“I almost forgot, my lord. Your man Blackstone was of immense help with the investigation. I appreciate your agreement to let him work with us.”

“You’re welcome,” Garrick replied quietly.

“It might interest you to know that he was able to get the
Town Talk
to reveal that it was a man who provided them with the . . . offensive gossip they printed. From the description it would appear it was Tremaine. I’m sure we’ll know for sure once we finish questioning all concerned.” The inspector frowned as if trying to remember something else before his expression became one of revelation. “Ah yes, and I didn’t get to finish what I was saying earlier. About your alibi.”